DA: Chair dispute led to beating in Framingham

Thursday

Aug 21, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By Norman MillerDaily News Staff

FRAMINGHAM - A Framingham man attacked his disabled neighbor on Tuesday, punching and biting the neighbor over a dispute about a chair in their shared driveway, police said.Police arrested Doran Farns, 53, at his 5 Brewster Road home at 6:50 p.m. after the beating, prosecutor Emily Jackson said.The victim, who only has the use of one arm, told police that he and Farns typically get along well, except when Farns was drunk as he was on Tuesday, the prosecutor said.Farns accused the man of moving a chair that someone had given him and had left in the driveway."Without warning, he punched the victim in the side of the face and bit him in the right armpit," Jackson said.The two men fell to the ground, with Farns repeatedly hitting the disabled man. The victim's girlfriend and friend pulled Farns off and called police. The victim had a swollen face, scratches all over his head and neck and a bite mark on his underarm, Jackson said.The victim's friend told police that the victim did not touch the chair that sparked the fight. The friend said he actually moved it, the prosecutor said.Police arrested Farns and charged him with assault and battery on a disabled person causing injury.Jackson asked Judge David Cunis to hold Farns on $5,000 bail. She said he has a record that includes several assaults.Farns' lawyer, Michele Lyon, argued that Farns was the actual victim, that his neighbor, his neighbor's girlfriend and the friend actually beat Farns."They pushed him down, they dragged him and they all jumped on top of him," Lyon said.Cunis released Farns on $500 bail. Cunis also ordered Farns to have no avoidable contact with his neighbor and to stay away from him.Farns is due back in court on Oct. 17 for a pretrial conference.Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date crime news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW.